Every simulator is turned on, configured and checked from one place: the Simulators tab inside each classroom. You pick a simulator from the picker on the right, then switch between three views: Setup to turn it on and adjust it, Class to see how the whole class is doing, and Students to look at one student at a time. This article walks through the tab and the sidebar shortcuts that lead to it.
Before you start: you need a class with students in it. A simulator is activated for a class and its roster, so there's nothing to set up until students have joined. Which simulators you can open depends on your plan; see The simulators at a glance: which one fits your lesson.
Two ways in
From the classroom
Click Classrooms in the sidebar and open your class.
Click the Simulators tab (between Coursework and Rankings).
Use the Simulator picker on the right to choose the simulator you want. Unless you arrived from a link that names a simulator, the tab starts on the Investing Simulator, so switch it if you meant another one.
From the sidebar
The Simulators group in your sidebar lists Economy, Budget, Investing, Startup, Business and Arcade. Clicking a simulator opens a short page about it rather than a class:
About this simulator explains What students do, What you control and the Academic goals. It's worth reading before you turn a simulator on for a class.
Choose a class lists your classes. Click Set up next to a class to jump straight to that class's Simulators tab, on that simulator's Setup view.
For the Investing, Economy and Business simulators, each class also has a Preview as a student button. See Previewing a simulator before your students do.
Arcade is different: it needs no class or setup, so it opens the Arcade itself, where you can play the games your students play.
The simulator picker
The picker lists the Investing Simulator, Budget Simulator, Startup Simulator, Economy Simulator and Business Simulator. A small padlock next to a name means your plan doesn't include that simulator; you can still pick it to see what it is and what your options are.
Twine Town is listed last in the picker and has the same three views. It works only in classes that have the Personal Finance Core Foundations (3e) course, where it's on by default; you can switch it off or back on from its Setup. In any other class, its Setup asks you to add that course first. See Twine Town: teacher guide.
The three views
Setup
This is where you turn a simulator on, change its settings, and reset or end it. Each simulator's Setup is different, because each one has different things to control: a starting balance and trading rules for the Investing Simulator, difficulty and life phases for the Budget Simulator, a scenario and pace for the Economy Simulator, and so on. The button that turns it on is in the Simulation Status card (or Start a Business Simulator for the Business Simulator):
Activate Simulation for the Investing and Startup simulators
Activate Budget Sim for the Budget Simulator
Activate Economy Sim for the Economy Simulator
Start the simulation for the Business Simulator
A line at the top of Setup reminds you that Standings and results are under Class, with a link that takes you there.
Class
Class is your view of the whole room. For the Investing, Budget and Startup simulators it shows a row of summary tiles (for example, how many students are beating their starting balance, who's in a game over, or who is near a fail point) and a Top of the class list. Tiles with a See who link show you exactly which students they mean.
Two simulators use Class differently:
Economy Simulator: tiles for the round, inequality, who's out of work or housing, and pattern flags, followed by trends, the transaction network and the lobbying ledger. See Running Economy Simulator rounds and reading the results.
Business Simulator: Class is the control room where you run each day for the class. See Business Simulator: teacher guide.
If a simulator hasn't been turned on yet, Class says so (for example, "The Budget Simulator isn't on for this class yet") with an Open Setup button. If it's been switched off, a note explains that the figures aren't changing.
Students
Students shows one student at a time. Your class list runs down the left; sort it by Name or by the simulator's main measure (Return, Balance, Value, Net worth or Cash) and click a name to open that student. Class results takes you back to the class view, and Full profile opens the student's page in the classroom. On a narrower window, where the class list moves above the student, Previous and Next buttons step through the list in the order you sorted it.
If a student hasn't started, you'll see that they haven't started yet rather than an empty chart. Their results appear as soon as they begin.
Which view opens first
When you open a simulator without choosing a view, the tab decides for you: Class if the simulator is running, Setup if it isn't. Links from the sidebar's Set up button always open Setup.
The view and the open student stay put when you switch simulators. If you're reading one student's Investing results on Students and pick the Budget Simulator, you'll see that same student's Budget results. It makes comparing one student across simulators quick.
Turning a simulator on
Open your class and click the Simulators tab.
Pick the simulator in the Simulator picker.
Click Setup if it isn't already open.
Read through the settings and adjust anything you want before students start. Some settings can only be chosen at the start (the Economy Simulator's scenario and pace, for example).
Click the activation button in the status card. The status changes to show it's live.
Tell your students. They open it from Simulators in their own sidebar.
The details for each simulator are in its own guide: Personal Budget Simulator, Investing Simulator, Startup Simulator, Economy Simulator and Business Simulator.
When a simulator is locked
If your plan doesn't include a simulator, all three views show a locked card instead. It names the simulator, says what it does, and tells you which plan includes it. What else it shows depends on your account:
On Intertwined Solo: a Start a 14-day trial button, if you haven't used that simulator's trial yet. Each simulator has its own trial, so starting one doesn't use up the others. While a trial runs, a banner above the simulator counts down the days left.
If your school covers your account: a note that your school's plan doesn't include this one and your district administrator can add it.
Otherwise: an Ask about it for your school button that opens our quote request page in a new tab. Solo teachers see it under the trial button.
What students see
Students don't have a Simulators tab. They click Simulators in their sidebar and get one page with every simulator on it, their progress in each, and an Assigned badge on any simulator you've assigned with a due date. A simulator that isn't running for their class yet tells them so when they open it. See The Simulators page.
Tips
Open Setup and read every card before you activate. A few choices are locked in once students start, and the descriptions under each setting explain what they do.
Use the sidebar's simulator pages when you teach several classes. You can set up the same simulator for each class from one list.
Check Class at the start of a lesson. The tiles and their See who lists are a fast way to find the students who need a word before they get stuck.
Add students to the class before activating the Economy Simulator. Its roles are handed out to everyone on the roster at that moment.
Common questions
Why does the tab keep opening on the Investing Simulator?
It's the first simulator in the picker, so the tab starts there when you haven't chosen one. Pick another simulator, or come in from the sidebar's simulator pages, which open the one you clicked.
Twine Town is in the picker, but it won't switch on.
Twine Town needs the Personal Finance Core Foundations (3e) course. Its Setup says "This class needs Personal Finance Core Foundations (3e) before Twine Town can go on." Add the course to the class, then come back. See Adding a course to your classroom.
Can I turn a simulator off without losing students' work?
The Investing and Startup simulators have a Deactivate button that switches them off while keeping results; students can't play until you turn them back on. The Budget Simulator stays on once it's activated. The Economy and Business simulators each have a Pause that freezes students' moves for a class discussion, and when a run is over you end it; its results stay viewable afterward. Each guide explains what its reset or end button does before you click it.
Why does a padlock show on a simulator my school pays for?
School plans differ in which simulators they include. Intertwined Core includes the Budget and Economy simulators, Plus adds Investing, and Pro adds Startup and Business. If you think your school's plan should include it, contact us from the chat bubble.
Can I see a simulator the way my students do?
For the Investing, Economy and Business simulators, yes: use Preview student view in Setup or Preview as a student on the sidebar page. See Previewing a simulator before your students do.